An overview of the University of Tulsa’s Homecoming Week festivities.
The University of Tulsa has been gearing up for Homecoming Week for over a month now, starting with the removal of the flowers at the center of Dietler field. This Monday, Nov. 9, marks the beginning of the awaited celebration. In traditional homecoming fashion, students will be joined by their families and TU alumni for a series of celebrations, all leading up to a home football game on Saturday, Nov. 14. This year’s homecoming game will be against the Florida Atlantic University Owls, who are currently 3-2 in the American Conference. The Golden Hurricane is 1-3 in the conference, but are still favored to take the victory at the end of the week. In the meantime, though, TU’s campus will be plentifully occupied with a series of traditions and events planned by the Student Activities Board.
The festivities kicked off on Monday at 6 p.m. with the Fall Festival. Students are invited to Chapman Commons, where there will be free t-shirts for the first 400 to sign in. Once inside, the events calendar promises a petting zoo, food trucks and carnival rides.
On Tuesday, the SAB-sponsored festivities will continue with the longtime TU tradition of Homecoming Street Painting. Student organizations are given a tract of space on Tucker Drive to paint with a design of their choice, with a winner announced by SAB on Friday.
Wednesday’s schedule contains separate events for students and visiting alumni, with diverging themes. “Raging Cane,” a wreck-room adjacent event, will run from 5 to 7 p.m. in Thomas Plaza, where students will be given turns destroying old cars. It is an opportunity to “let loose, release some stress and unleash their Golden Hurricane spirit,” per the announcement by SAB in the Events Calendar. There will also be free t-shirts and free food for those who arrive while supplies last. For visiting alumni, a “Wellness Walk” with President Stacy Leeds takes place at 8:30 a.m., although the alumni webpage also encourages those visiting their alma mater to spectate the excitement of the evening.
Thursday and Friday share the favorite event of the week for many TU students: the Homecoming Bonfire. Senior music major Jadyn Fording said it was her favorite part of Homecoming Week, admitting, “I know that’s kind of ‘standard,’” but that some things are popular for a reason. Senior Eleanor Hong concurred: “What can I say, the bonfire rocks.” Thursday’s event will be the construction of the bonfire from 2 to 4 p.m. TU students are invited to take part in the tradition, stacking the timbers that will be ignited for the celebration the next day at the pep rally. Starting at 7:30 p.m. on Friday, the rally is a special memory for many students, often enjoyed with visiting family members. “My family doesn’t really come in for Homecoming weekend,” said Fording, “but my mom is an alum, and she visited my freshman year. … It was really fun.” The pep rally and bonfire will feature music from the Sound of the Golden Hurricane, food from local food trucks, fireworks and a DJ.
Dietler Commons garden, cleared for the Homecoming Bonfire Rasikh Imam | Collegian
Friday also promises a slew of other activities for students and alumni. Collins Hall will host local vendors and have TU spiritwear for sale from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Open houses for the fraternities, sororities and the Black Alumni Divine Nine will begin at 3 p.m. in their respective houses and the Office for Resilience and Belonging. Milestone-year reunions, along with reunions for Black Alumni Leadership Counsel, the College of Law, Collins Business College and the Electrical and Computer Engineering College, will precede the pep rally on Chapman Commons. “TU on Tap,” a free event for anyone over the age of 21, will take place in the wake of the rally in the same place.
Finally, Saturday is the day of the big game and the crowning of the homecoming court, all beginning at 2:30 p.m. The court includes a king, a queen, the top 10 freshmen and outstanding seniors. In addition to these, three alumni will be honored. “Ms. Homecoming” has been awarded to Associate Dean of Students Affairs for TU’s College of Law as well as Tulsa Bachelor’s and Juris Doctor holder April Fox. This is the highest award for alumni at the game, followed closely by the two winners of the Distinguished Alumni Award. 2026’s recipients are Jean Mermoud Mrasek Pickett and Tony D. Vaughn. Those honored will also be available to meet at the pep rally the preceding day.
All events for Homecoming Week can be found on the TU Events Calendar, along with other upcoming events for the remainder of the semester. The website has recently undergone several design changes to improve its usability and better help those accessing it.
